A Good Plan
by alwaysZutarian
Summary: Katara's plan was to ignore her high school crush and forget her feelings for him before she went insane. What she did not know was that Zuko had a different plan of his own: make Katara noticed him until she agreed to go out with him. AU
1. Chapter 1

**Whoo! Another Zutara one-shot! Actually, it's divided into two parts, but whatever! It's rated M just in case, though there's nothing too mature or anything. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the first part of this AU Zutara one-shot! ^ ^**

Disclaimer: I make no profit in borrowing the characters from Avatar: the Last Airbender! So there!

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_**A Good Plan**_

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There he was. The most popular guy in Roku High School. The one any girl would give her left arm to go out with. Captain of the football, soccer, wrestling, and fencing team. Outstanding in anything athletic. He was voted senior class president, squashing his rival, Jet, easily. There was a sort of commanding air around him that made everybody follow him wherever he led.

Katara watched from behind her thick history book as he stepped into their Ancient History class. As soon as his presence was felt, the entire classroom immediately went silent and turned their heads toward the door. Katara quickly looked down at her book as he glanced around the room so he wouldn't notice that she was staring. She looked up again as he made his way to his desk that rested almost across the room and a little behind from where she was sitting.

He was the heir to the wealthiest family in the region, though Katara really did not care much about that. Not only was he the richest boy in school, but the hottest guy as well, and everywhere he went he left a trail of drooling fangirls in his wake. He was very tall, lean yet muscular, with blemish-free pale skin, an aristocratic nose, and short raven-black hair that would sometimes fall down into his almond-shaped eyes and dark eyebrows. But the most amazing feature that caught her attention was his unusual golden-colored eyes that gleamed so intently like the sun itself.

Zuko was his name and Katara had a huge crush on him.

She tried to stop it—honestly she did, since she refused to be like another of the dumb bimbos that sighed over him. She did not want to fall for the most popular guy like in those cheesy chick flicks. He was that kind of guy that did not care about anything else but his reputation and himself...at least, that was what she thought. But though she always reminded herself of these things, she was unable to stop the damn crush from developing. There was just something about him that called her attention.

It all started the first day in her new school sophomore year, and Sokka, her older brother, had left her so he could 'mix in with the crowd' as he called it. When their mother died the previous year their father decided to move them and their grandmother from the snowy rural town in the south and start anew in the sunny city of the west. She did not know anyone in this new city or school, so she had been looking for her homeroom class by herself, but eventually she got lost in the huge school that held more people than her hometown's entire population.

She had been trying to figure out how the small map the old lady at the school office drew for her was supposed to work when she bumped into Zuko. She had looked up in surprise, but to her later embarrassment, she froze when she saw him. He had looked at her with the most unusual golden eyes she had ever seen in her life. She had felt like her heart was running a marathon and her face was trying to imitate a tomato, so she apologized and quickly moved away. She had continued to search for her class when all of the sudden he ran toward her and grabbed her wrist before he asked her if she was lost. She had sheepishly admitted she was with a small blush, which then intensified when he smiled down at her and offered to escort her to her next class. She had immediately returned the smile and accepted his offer before she even knew he was the most popular guy in the school. That was the only and last time they had talked.

As discreet as she could be, Katara watched as Zuko sat down at his desk and was immediately latched onto by his tall girlfriend, Mai, one of the other wealthier students in the school as well. Seriously, what did Zuko see in the super-thin, emotionless, and cold girl? He could do way better than that. To each their own, she guessed with a small shrug. Though she could not stop the jealousy from forming in her chest and she had to grit her teeth at the feeling.

Really, what did he see in Mai? Katara was sure she would be a much better girlfriend and she would treat him like a person and not a bank account and she would do anything to make him happy and—

_Woah! Stop right there, girl!_ Katara mentally scolded herself. _It will only be more painful later on if you continue thinking those things!_

She nodded mentally at her logic, but her eyes were again drawn to him like a helpless fish to a fishhook with a wriggly worm. She watched curiously as Zuko removed Mai's thin arms from around his neck with a scowl on his face before he looked her way.

Their eyes met for a moment and Katara felt her heart skip a beat before she quickly looked back down at her book and pretended to be busy with her schoolwork. She could feel her face burning and she hoped he didn't notice that she had been staring at him. Stupid crush! She hoped it would go away soon, but it seemed to only increase since the first time she saw him when she transferred to Roku High School last year, which was just stupid and unreasonable!

She knew her crush was silly since it was impossible Zuko would actually give her the time of day. He probably did not remember when they bumped into each other and maybe he didn't even know she existed. Why would he? She was not rich, she did not wear brand clothes or high heels from expensive boutiques, and though she knew she was not ugly, she saw herself as an ordinary looking seventeen-year-old girl, not something special that would attract a guy like Zuko. Besides, he had a girlfriend (though she still could not understand why it was Ice Princess Mai) and Katara was not one of those desperate girls who stopped at nothing to get the boy she wanted even if that meant destroying a relationship.

Despite all of this, it still did not make her feelings go away. Darn. Maybe once Zuko graduated in a few months and they all went their separate ways she would outgrow her silly crush and be able to move on.

Yep, that seemed like a good plan.

A hard punch to her arm snapped her out of her thoughts and she jumped in her seat in surprise.

"Ow!" Katara yelped as she turned to glare at her attacker.

"See, I told ya that would bring her out from dreamland," her best friend, Toph, remarked with a huge grin on her face.

"Yeah, but you didn't need to hit her so hard," Aang, Toph's boyfriend, admonished gently before he smiled cheerfully at their friend who was rubbing her abused arm. "So what had you looking so pensive, Katara?"

Katara felt herself blush again.

"I…I was…uh…" she stuttered before she raised the flash cards she had made to study for the history test they were going to have next week, and she grinned triumphantly, "I was just studying for the test, of course!"

"_Riiiight_," Toph stressed out sarcastically and rolled her light-green eyes. "I know boring schoolwork wasn't what you were thinking about to make you have that stupid look on your face." She ignored Katara's indignant protest and grinned. "I bet you were thinking about a certain someone with dark hair and golden ey—"

Katara sprang up from her seat and clamped her hand over Toph's grinning mouth.

"Shut up!" she hissed.

Toph was the only one who knew she had a major crush on Zuko and Katara didn't even tell her! Toph was just that good. And Katara wanted to keep her feelings for a certain senior student a secret.

Katara looked around when the class went silent and she blushed when she saw that the entire class, even her crush, was staring at her. She let go of a smirking Toph and quickly sat back down, covering her face with her hands and groaning lowly in embarrassment. She looked up through her fingers and glared at Toph when the short girl started to laugh. The rest of the class shrugged and continued with their gossips.

"So I was right, huh?" Toph said smugly, "Just like I always am."

"What're you girls talking about?" Aang asked curiously as he looked between the two. "Who were you thinking about, Katara?"

"No one!" Katara exclaimed, "Don't listen to Toph! You know she's crazy!"

"Crazy, but always right," Toph replied with another chuckle.

"Whatever," Katara huffed as she slumped down in her seat. She hoped Zuko did not think she was weird or something.

What she didn't know was that Zuko was indeed thinking about her, but weird wasn't it. It was far from it.

* * *

There she was. The most interesting and prettiest girl he had ever seen. Zuko watched as her friends took their seats around her and began speaking in low voices.

As soon as he had entered the classroom, his eyes had immediately sought out to find the one person he always looked forward to seeing in this particular class. He had sighed inwardly once he spotted her sitting in her usual seat near the windows, almost at the front of the class, with a book in her hands, not even looking up to see him.

Katara was her name, a name as unique and pretty as her, and he was a bit embarrassed to admit that he had a huge crush on her. He, Zuko, the most popular and coolest guy in school, was crushing on some girl! She was not one of the rich and popular girls, but that was one of the reasons why he was drawn to her like a month to flame.

It all started the first day of his junior year and he had been on his way to class. He had been thanking his luck that he had been able to avoid Mai all morning when a girl he had never seen before almost crashed into him as he rounded a corner. He had watched silently as an adorable blush coated her cheeks as she looked up at him and apologized before she hastily continued on her way, looking between a paper in her hand and the rooms she passed by. It had been obvious she was lost, and before he could think about it and without knowing why, he had quickly gone after her. He had asked her if she needed help before he reached over and grabbed her slim wrist. She had turned to look at him and he became mesmerized by her big, cobalt orbs that stared into his eyes. She had flashed him a grateful and lovely smile and accepted his offer. That had been the last time they had spoken. He was a grade higher than she was and they never had the same classes. Until now that is.

With a mental shake of his head, Zuko had then strode over to his own desk without acknowledging the other students and ignoring the irritating dreamy and hungry looks the girls had thrown his way. Did they really think he liked to be looked at like a piece of meat—an expensive, high quality piece of meat, at that?

He had resisted the urge to growl when Mai had latched onto him as soon as he had taken a seat.

"Hi, Zuko. So are you taking me out tonight?" Mai asked in what he believed was a seductive tone as she pressed herself closer to him.

"I told you I have football practice today," Zuko replied, not even bothering to hide his irritation from his voice.

"Oh, come on, Zuko," Mai pleaded as she wrapped her thin arms around his neck. "Just skip practice. What's the big deal?"

_She never understands,_ Zuko thought angrily.

"I said _no_," he told her firmly as he removed her arms from him and scowled at her.

Mai narrowed her dark eyes at him. She sniffed delicately as she looked away.

Mai may be his girlfriend, but he in no way had any romantic feelings for her. They had known each other since they were kids, but the only reason he was dating her was because his father wished for both their families to unite in the future and become even wealthier. As if his father wasn't rich enough already! Why did _he_ have to be sacrificed for his father's greed?

Not only that, but there was nothing about Mai that had endeared her to him. She had the classical, aristocratic beauty, yes, with her dark, straight hair, fair skin, and long neck, but she was cold, boring, materialistic, and shallow, always thinking that she was above everybody else, especially now that he was her boyfriend.

Zuko turned away from her and looked up at what he called his 'secret obsession'. He caught Katara's gaze for a brief second before she quickly looked down at her book again and he frowned. Why did she always do that? Every time he entered the class, she would look away, and he was sure it wasn't because he was hideous to look at. It just made him want to try harder to make her notice him.

He was distracted from his thoughts when he saw someone punch Katara's arm and he almost stood up in anger from his seat in full protective mode, but he relaxed when he realized it was just her friends. He then watched as they talked to her and he wondered what the short girl had said when Katara had jumped from her chair to cover her mouth before she looked around the room sheepishly. The blush that appeared on her face made his heart do a flip and he smiled when she slumped into her seat in embarrassment.

Mai was nothing compared to Katara. Of course, he couldn't really know that since he had only spoken to her once, but from what he had observed Katara seemed to be completely different than Mai or any of the other girls, for that matter. Katara always had a friendly smile on her face that she directed at everyone she came across and she always tried to help someone when they had a problem or helped them to the nurse's office if they had been hurt. He had heard that she sometimes even helped the nurse take care of the patients. She was a very good student, one of the top of her class, and she was president of the Ambassadors Club and was very good at it. She was a friendly and calm sort of girl, but she was not afraid to stand up to the popular girls in order to defend herself or another poor student that was being teased. She had befriended many of the students the popular crowd had avoided and bullied, and in return they did not hesitate to back her up when she needed their help. He had never thought a girl could be so many things and it intrigued him.

Another thing he liked about her was that she was captain of the swimming team, which was expected since she was an excellent swimmer. The way she moved underwater made it look like she had been born a mermaid. It was that graceful and natural. And how did he know this?

Zuko took a glance at her lithe frame and he shifted in his seat as his face burned up. Well…let's just say that he always made excuses to walk by the swimming pool after football practice. And the way the water made her tanned skin shine as it slid down her arms and long legs and over her dark blue bathing suit that seemed to hug her every curve…

Zuko again shifted in his seat and mentally shook his head. Now was not the time to think of these things. He let out a relieved breath when the teacher stepped into the room and ordered everybody to calm down and take their seats so class could begin. Once the class was quiet, their teacher reminded them of their test for next week before he began to write out his lecture notes on the outdated chalkboard. He was one of those old-fashioned teachers that preferred chalk instead of erasable markers.

Zuko took a break from the boring lecture and discreetly glanced at Katara. He smiled slightly when he saw her quickly writing down everything their old teacher was saying with a studious look on her pretty face.

Agni, was she gorgeous. She had silky-looking, chocolate brown hair that fell in waves down her back, skin the color of caramel, lips that begged to be kissed, a petite but well-proportioned body (he had seen her in a bathing suit after all), and a pair of the bluest eyes he had ever seen framed by long, black eyelashes.

She made him feel and think things that he had never thought were possible. He actually found himself wanting to get to know a person. He wanted to speak to her, to get to know her better, to get close to her. A whole year had passed since their first meeting and they have only spoken a few words to each other, but he was determined that it would be different this year. This was his last year in high school before he went off to university to get a degree in international business, and if he didn't do something, then perhaps he will never see her again after that.

Zuko snapped his head to the side to look at Mai when she dug her long nails in his arm, and he pulled away from her painful grip to glare at her without alerting the still droning, old teacher. She narrowed her eyes at him before she glared over to where Katara was obliviously sitting and he knew she had caught him staring at Katara again. He raised a black eyebrow as if to say _'what of it?_' and she only hissed at him before turning to look back to the front of the class.

He sighed as he, too, turned his attention back to the lecture. He didn't mean to be so insensitive toward Mai nor did he want to hurt her, but he just could not help it, especially went she acted so nasty toward him and anyone who had the misfortune to get in her way when she got upset. It was just another reason (besides the obvious one concerning his feelings for Katara) why the decision he had made a few months ago about breaking up with Mai became more pleasing and urgent as time passed.

Zuko leaned back into his chair and crossed his arms over his chest as he ran things through in his head. First he needed to break up with Mai and once that was done, he will try to—as his Uncle Iroh would put it— 'woo' Katara until she no longer looked away when he appeared and until she began to like him. He would only be satisfied until she decided to go out with him.

Yes, that seemed like a very good plan.

* * *

Katara hummed happily as she turned on the water from one of the shower stalls in the girls' locker room. She placed her dry clothes on a stool that stood beside the stall she was going to use, while she tried to keep the towel around her as she placed her wet bathing suit in her bag so she could wash it once she got home. Once the water was the temperature she liked, Katara stepped into the shower's sprays and dropped the wet towel outside the stall.

A content sigh escaped her as the warm water ran down her skin before she proceeded to wash her body and her hair. Swimming practice had been intense today, and though everybody else had left a few hours ago, she had decided to swim a bit more before she had to get home and prepare dinner for Sokka and their dad. She could just hear Sokka's loud whining if she didn't have food ready for him to wolf down once he got home from his part-time job.

_"Katara! Why are you so mean to your lovable older brother?"_ he would dramatically cry out before yelping indignantly when she would bopped him on the head and their father would laugh and their Gran-Gran would sigh with a smile on her thin lips.

Katara smiled sadly. Her mother's death had been hard on all of them, but they managed to remain a happy and close family.

Steam rose above the showering stall as the water continued to rain down on her as she rinsed the shampoo from her long, brown hair. Katara continued to hum the soft tune before she paused when she realized she was humming the song Zuko had been whistling that day in history class. A blush appeared on her cheeks as she remembered the crooked smile he had aimed her way when he leaned over her desk to ask her if she had an extra pencil, despite the fact he had one on his desk, a sharpened one, no less! With a small shrug, she had handed him an extra one and flashed him a quick smile before she looked back down at her notes to hide her confused blush.

She had thought he didn't know who she was. So she had been surprised when the day after Toph had almost revealed her secret, Zuko had plopped down on the desk next to hers, glared at the guy that had protested that that was his spot until he wisely retreated to another seat, and turned back to give her a smug smile. She had gaped at him for a moment before she turned around to his usual seat to see if it was on fire or something, but she saw it was perfectly fine. She was even more confused when she saw that Mai was still sitting at her desk and she was glaring heatedly at her. Katara almost had a heart attack when Zuko greeted her and asked her about their upcoming test. She had thought he didn't know her name and there he was talking to her like they actually knew each other!

However, as the weeks passed by it only got stranger and she got even more confused. Zuko would pop out of nowhere and start talking to her. He would carry her books and walked her to class, he even asked her to become his partner for the project they had to do in history class. He would meet up with her in the library to study and he would even sit with her, Toph, Aang, and their other friends at their lunch table as if he had been doing it for years! At first she had been a bit shy (and she had to admit a bit suspicious since it was Zuko after all) and to her embarrassment, she kept stuttering and blushing whenever he spoke to her. But as days turned to weeks, and those weeks turned into five months, she got over her uneasiness and began talking to him like they have been friends for many years. And now she looked forward to seeing his handsome face and hearing his voice every morning at school and could not wait for the weekend to be over so she could race to school and be in his presence.

Katara hung her head and let the water beat down upon her back. Gods, how much more pathetic could she get. She was almost acting like one of those crazy bimbos she had promised herself she wasn't going to become. But they were just friends. That was okay, right? She just had a little crush on him, that's all.

_Gah! Who am I kidding?_ Katara screamed in her head. _It's no longer a stupid crush! I fell in love with him, dammit!_

And now the pain was going to be worse once he left for college and they never saw each other ever again. And then her heart would break when news that he was engaged to a beautiful and refined, rich girl reached her ears and then she would be known as the crazy, old spinster that had more than a dozen cats living in her apartment as she mourned her unrequited love.

Katara burst into broken giggles before a sob escaped her throat. She raised her head and welcomed the soothing sensation that went through her as the water hit her face and mixed with her tears.

_So this is what they mean about teenage angst_, Katara absently mused as she sniffled.

No, she was stronger than this. She will not let her unrequited love for Zuko bring her down. She will not let anybody see how much she was hurting and she will graduate with honors and then she will start her carrier as a pediatrician and she will be successful!

Even though what she really wanted was for Zuko to kiss her, and love her back, and perhaps marry her one day, and then they would have dozens of cute babies and—

_Woah! Enough with those thoughts, girl!_ Katara again scolded herself for about the hundredth time for the past year before she began to grumble, _Stupid teenage girl hormones…_

She paused in her mental angst when a few feminine giggles and snickers reached her ears above the sound of the running water. She didn't know anybody else was here.

Katara quickly finished her shower, turned off the water, and poked her head out. She did not see anyone there, but she was sure she had heard something.

"Hello? Is someone there?" Katara called out.

Nothing answered, it was eerily silent, the only sound that reached her ears was her breathing, and a shiver ran down her spine.

"I hope those rumors I heard about the school being haunted aren't real," Katara muttered to herself before she shook her head.

With a shrug, Katara retreated back into the stall and wrung the excess water from her hair and sighed as her previous thoughts about Zuko resurfaced in her mind. She reached for her dry towel where she had place it, but her hand only met empty air and she frowned. Maybe she placed it with her dry clothes without noticing. Katara opened the thick shower curtain a fraction to look at the small stool, but froze in shock.

"Where are my clothes?" Katara shrieked.

There was nothing on the stool! Her skirt, her shirt, and her underwear were not there! Even her wet bathing suit and towel were missing!

"What the hell!" Katara hissed in panic, "How I am supposed to get out of here?"

Ooh, when she got hold of whoever was responsible to put this prank on her, she will make sure they never messed around with her again! But why did anyone want to do this to her? She wasn't mean to anybody, she tried to be nice, so she didn't think she deserved this humiliation.

Katara could feel tears begin to prick her eyes in frustration, but she quickly wiped them away and composed herself. No need to panic. She had an extra set of clothes in one of the lockers she had been given for her swimming gear. She just needed to run to her locker, get her clothes, and run back before anybody saw her naked.

Yep, good plan, good plan.

Katara listened carefully for a few minutes for any sounds that might indicate that she was not alone, and when she didn't hear anything, she pulled the shower curtain aside and raced to her locker. She breathed a sigh of relief when she reached it and didn't bump into anyone, not that any of the other girls mind walking around showing their bodies, but she sure as hell did. She got the lock open before she quickly opened the small door, grabbed everything from inside and raced back to the shower stall.

Once safely inside, Katara quickly put on her extra pair of panties and shorts and began to search for her other clothing items. To her horror, she realized that there wasn't a bra or a shirt. The only thing left were her black flats. Why was this happening to her? What was she going to do? She couldn't walk home half naked!

Katara groaned into her hands. If only she had her cell phone, but she forgot to take it out of her school backpack when she gave it to Sokka to leave it home before he went to work. Just her luck. Now what? The school must be completely abandoned by now and she did not want to spend the night in here. Besides, she didn't want to worry her family if she didn't return home.

She could cut across the park to reach her house instead of taking the populated streets like she always did. The park was almost always empty during this time of the day and if she was quick and careful enough nobody would get a chance to see her, but that still did not cover the fact that she was topless.

Her wet hair fell over her shoulder and onto her chest and she shivered. She was about to throw it over her shoulder when an idea formed. Her hair was long enough to cover her breasts, it wasn't exactly a safe shield, but it was the best she had and all she needed to do was cover her chest with her arms as she raced through the empty park and into the backdoor of her house.

Katara nodded her head. Okay, all she needed to do was leave the school grounds and make sure nobody saw her. She parted her hair and draped it over her breasts before crossing her arms over them. She took a deep breath and stepped out of the shower stall.

* * *

**A/N: Ooh, small cliffy. So there you have it! I hope you enjoyed this first part! I'll have the second one up soon!**

**Please review and tell me what you think! It helps me see if I'm doing okay. Thanks!**

**~alwaysZutarian**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey! Here's the next and final part of this one-shot! Thanks so much for the reviews! They really help and encourage me with my writing! ^ ^**

I do not own ATLA! How sad.

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Feet pounded swiftly on the cement floor as a tall figure sprinted across the school grounds. The sun was low on the horizon and long shadows fell across the floor as a few students hurried to return home, but the running figure paid them no mind even when the female population turned to sigh over him as he passed.

Zuko continued in his rapid pace toward the building where the school's swimming pool was, grumbling crossly as he went for he was very late and it wasn't even his fault. After football practice he had hurried to place his things inside his car so he could at least see the end of practice of the girl's swimming team—or more accurately, so he could gaze at Katara's body in a bathing suit without making it seem like he was gawking like a starved man staring at a banquet. Gods, just imagining Katara's body in that wet suit did evil things to him.

He had just locked the doors to his expensive and well-maintained car when he had felt a pair of arms snaked around him from behind. He was about to painfully twist the arm of whoever was restraining him when he heard Mai speaking to him while she ran her hands down his chest. He had quickly stepped away from her and demanded to know what she was doing since he had dumped her months ago, so she couldn't go rubbing herself on him whenever she wanted. She had furiously glared at him, but he had been unfazed and only glared back since she was detaining him from his goal.

To his shock, she began to cry. He didn't even know she was capable of crying! He immediately felt awkward and didn't know what to say since he was never comfortable when girls cried. He had patted her shoulder awkwardly and asked her what was wrong. He shouldn't have said that. She had lunged herself at him and clung to him like a leech as she continued sobbing while telling him that she missed him and they should give their relationship another chance. He had pushed her off him and told her firmly that he was never going to get back with her, so it was best that she realized that soon and moved on. Then she stopped crying and again glared at him. Now _that_ he was used to.

He had turned away and was about to leave when his ex-girlfriend screamed at him that this was all Katara's fault and that she was going to make Katara pay for stealing him away from her before she began to say nasty things about the girl he cared about more than anything else in his life. He whirled around in anger and he yelled furiously at her, threatening her if she ever dared to utter those despicable lies about Katara again. Mai had gaped at him in shock before she composed herself and angrily asked him why he was defending 'that girl' so much and why he was spending more time with 'that girl' than he ever did with her.

_'That girl's name is Katara,'_ he had reminded her curtly. '_And I have my reasons why I spend so much time with her.'_

Without waiting for Mai to reply, Zuko had swiftly turned away from her and left the almost empty parking lot, not even glancing back when she had continued to scream at him. He had still been trying to control his anger as he walked back toward the school buildings. He knew his father was sure to get angry with him once news reached him that he had broken up with the daughter of his best associate. But Zuko could not find it in himself to give a shit.

All his life he had been trying to please his uncaring father, so that is why he had accepted to become Mai's boyfriend in the first place, but all of his efforts were in vain. His father never acknowledged him, all of his pride and affection was for Zuko's younger sister. Azula always made it her hobby of reminding him of their father's preference, but luckily, Zuko didn't have to deal with her anymore since she now attended a prestigious private all-girl high school. His father would probably tell him how disappointed he was with another of his mistakes, but Zuko had had enough of what his father thought and wanted. Now it was his turn to do what would make him happy, and that was breaking up with Mai so he could pursue Katara. If that made his father angry, then so be it.

Yes, he wanted to pursue Katara. He wanted to be in a relationship with her. He wanted Katara to become his girlfriend. He had gotten to know her very well this past couple of months. He knew what she was like, what made her laugh and what made her angry. He knew the things she liked, knew how much she adored her family and how close they were, unlike his. He also knew what her future goals were and what her dreams consisted of—well, kind of. Katara still refused to tell him what her biggest wish was when Toph had teased her about it. As time passed by getting to know her better, Zuko realized something that still had him feeling bewildered and happy at the same time.

He no longer crushed on her. Nope, he was in love with her. Yep, the whole head-over-heels-can't-stop-thinking-about-her-want-to-be-with-her-for-the-rest-of-his-life kind of love.

Zuko was still chuckling about his surprising yet not unpleasant predicament when he had finally realized that it was late and that he had most likely missed Katara's swimming practice all thanks to Mai's annoying interruption. With a muttered curse, Zuko began to run.

So that is why he found himself at the moment sprinting as fast as he could across the school grounds toward the swimming pool. He hoped that Katara was still somewhere near the pool and more preferably was still wearing her little swimsuit. With a grin on his face at his last thought, Zuko sped up his already fast pace. If she was still there, then he would offer to take her home since it was getting really late and he didn't want her walking by herself. And then he'll ask her out.

That sounded like a good plan.

Roku High School's swimming pool building loomed in sight and Zuko slowed down his pace so he could recover some of his well-known composure and not meet Katara panting and huffing while he tried to regain his breath from running all the way from the other extremity of the school. After his heart stopped pounding and his breathing returned to normal, Zuko straightened himself and placed his renowned smirk on his face as he opened the front door and entered the building. His smirk fell from his face and his shoulders slumped when he saw that the pool was empty, not a ripple could be seen in the chlorine-filled water.

"Great. Just my luck!" Zuko groused as he pushed his dark hair out of his eyes and sighed deeply.

He scowled for a few seconds before another smirk surfaced on his face.

"There's always tomorrow," he told himself with an eager nod, "And this time I'll race over here as soon as the couch says football practice is over."

Zuko was about to turn and leave when he noticed that there was still light coming from the girls' locker room. He paused and contemplated if he should wait and see if somebody came out. Maybe Katara was still inside and then he wouldn't have to wait until tomorrow to talk to her. Or if they were some of her swimming teammates then he could ask them which way Katara went so he could catch up to her and give her a ride home. With another nod, Zuko made his way around the large pool toward the locker rooms and decided to wait outside the entrance for someone to come out.

He leaned casually against the wall, one hand inside his jeans pocket while the other swept his dark hair away from his eyes. He was not at all concerned if any of the girls thought he was trying to sneak in a peak because he knew they would be the ones to actually encourage him to do so.

_As if any of them could tempt me when I have Katara to look at,_ he mused with a sniff.

A soft sound, almost like something was slinking around, came from within the dimmed entrance to the locker rooms. Quiet footsteps reached his ears and Zuko straightened so he could be standing with a nonchalant air and a blasé look on his face. He placed a cool smirk on his face as he turned, but he was startled when a small figure swiftly rounded the corner and crashed into his chest. Zuko heard the unknown person let out a surprised gasp as she was thrown backward at the impact and he reflexively reached out to grasp her arms to catch her and he pull her back toward him.

"Zuko!" he heard her exclaim.

He looked down to her face and was met with familiar blue eyes that were incredibly wide at the moment. A large smile spread across his face at his luck.

"Katara! I was just about to…" his voice trailed off as he looked away from her face and stared with shocked wide eyes at her bare chest, at perky and soft-looking globes with dusky tips.

"Oh, Agni. Katara's breasts are much more stunning than I've ever imagined," he thought breathlessly.

He heard Katara inhale sharply and he looked back at her face to see her glaring at him.

"Oh, shit," he groaned, "Please, tell me I didn't say that out loud."

Katara pulled her arms away from Zuko's grip and covered her chest as best as she could while pointing an accusing finger at him

"You did!" Katara shrieked at him, her eyes almost blazing in blue fire in her anger and mortification. "You pervert!"

"Hey! You can't blame me for it! I'm a healthy eighteen-year-old guy, for Agni's sake!" Zuko argued as he tried not to let his eyes wander below Katara's face. "Besides, I'm not the one running around half naked!"

"It's not like I want to, stupid!" Katara yelled at him as she tried to cover more of herself while still glaring icicles at him. "I was trying to make my way home without anyone seeing me!"

"Well, that was a stupid plan," Zuko muttered with a frown.

"Shut up!" she shouted. "Instead of just standing there, gawking at my chest, why don't you help me?"

Zuko opened his mouth to retort, but he closed it and frowned since she did make a good point. But there was still one question that was nagging him.

"Well, why are you…you know…topless?" Zuko asked her.

This time he was not able to stop his eyes from wandering away from her pretty face that was flushed in embarrassment and indignation, down her slim neck, and down to her chest where Katara's arms were blocking his view. He looked up quickly when she hissed at him.

"Someone stole my stuff while I was showering!" Katara finally told him.

"_What?_ Who?" Zuko growled out furiously, protective mode coming out of him in waves again.

"I don't know!" Katara sighed out in frustration. "The only thing I heard was some girls giggling and snickering."

Her anger melted and Zuko's heart constricted in his chest when she looked at him with shiny, watery blue eyes.

"Why would they do that to me?" she asked sadly.

Zuko ground his teeth in anger and his hands clenched at his sides. He remembered the words Mai had screeched at him about making Katara pay and he just knew that his ex-girlfriend was behind this. He had a feeling the giggles Katara had mentioned came from Mai's best friend Ty Lee and her posse.

He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard Katara sniffle and shift uneasily from foot to foot, but before he could answer her, they heard voices coming from one of the other entrances into the building closer to the locker rooms and directly behind them. They froze as they looked at each other before they whipped their heads toward the door where the voices were getting closer.

"This better be good," they heard a guy say gruffly.

"Yeah, I'm missing dinner because of this," another male voice exclaimed. "What are we doing here, anyway?"

"Oh, I'm sure you guys will enjoy it once you find out," Ty Lee's bubbly voice came next followed by more feminine giggles.

A dark look settled across Zuko's face and his hands clenched into tight fists. It seemed Mai wanted to humiliate Katara further by having some guys watching her state of dress…or undress.

Katara felt panic rise within her and she looked frantically around for a place to hide before she looked back at Zuko and vaguely wondered why he looked like he was about to kill something.

"Zuko! Do something!" she hissed at him. "Make them go away!"

Zuko was about to race toward the door and find some way to block the unwanted visitors' path, but another idea popped into his head and he remained standing where he was.

"I will. Only on one condition," he told her impassively.

"_What?_" Katara shrieked unbelievably, "Seriously?"

"They're coming closer," Zuko reminded her as his eyes darted to the door, "What will it be?"

Katara glared at him in disbelief. Maybe if she ran back into the girls' locker room she didn't have to stand there like an idiot and see what the hell Zuko wanted. But it seemed like Ty Lee and the rest would come upon her anyway and she rather do whatever Zuko wanted than let some strangers see her naked. The voices were getting closer and she unconsciously took a step closer to Zuko.

"Fine! What's your condition?" Katara hissed out.

"Agree to go out with me," Zuko said with his crooked grin.

Katara gaped at him incredulously for a second as she tried to figure out if what Zuko just said was what she thought she had just heard. It's what she had been wishing he told her since a year ago.

"I…you…w-what?" she stuttered.

"I want you to be my girlfriend, Katara," Zuko repeated as he took a subconscious step toward her while his eyes once again darted to the door. "Just say yes," he whispered urgently at her, "They're almost at the door."

Katara could hear them approaching at the door and with a pounding heart she look back up at Zuko's golden eyes. Why was he doing this? Did he really want to be her boyfriend or was this just some sort of game to him? The sound of someone trying to get the door opened jolted her from her thoughts

"Okay, okay, I accept to be your girlfriend! Just help me!" she pleaded.

She watched as a triumphant smirk appeared on Zuko's face. A soft gasp escaped her when Zuko grabbed her arms, pulled her flushed against him, and pushed her against the wall with his hands holding her arms against the cold wall on either side of her head. She was barely aware that he was covering her with his larger body before all her thoughts scattered as Zuko leaned down and captured her lips with his just as the door was thrown opened and a small group of teens entered. They froze in their tracks in shock.

Zuko made sure he was covering Katara completely before he reluctantly pulled away from her soft lips and looked over his shoulder to glare at the gaping group consisting of Mai's four friends and two guys that he recognized from their history class as if annoyed at their interruption. His glare intensified as the teenage boys tried to take a peek at the blushing Katara in his embrace, who then buried herself closer to his chest in embarrassment and irritation.

"I suggest you leave before you regret it for interrupting my time with my girlfriend," Zuko spoke up coldly.

The girls gasped at his words. The two boys jumped at the iciness in the senior class president's voice, and with stuttered apologies, ran out of there, almost pushing the other girls out of their way as they both crammed through the door to escape. Zuko turned his hard glare at the red-faced and still gaping girls and raised a dark eyebrow when they didn't budge.

"I'm sure you know the way out," he told them sardonically.

They snapped out of their stupor and huffed at him as they also turned to leave. Zuko spotted Ty Lee trying to hide herself and he snorted.

"Ty Lee," he called out in a hard tone.

The young girl dressed in what resembled a pink cheerleader outfit froze before she looked back with a bubbly smile on her face.

"Yes, Zuko?" she asked sweetly.

"Tell Mai that it will be she that will regret messing with Katara, my new girlfriend," he told her smoothly.

Ty Lee and the other girls gulped before they nodded and raced through the doors and disappeared.

Zuko smirked as he looked down at Katara who was trying to hide her face in the crook of his neck.

"Well, now we are alone. What should we do?" Zuko asked deviously.

Katara raised her head to glare at him.

"I can't believe you manipulated me into accepting to be your girlfriend!" Katara yelled at him as she tried to wrench her arms from his grip. "What? If I had said no, you wouldn't have helped me?"

"Of course not!" Zuko growled out. "I would've ripped their eyes out if they as so much caught a glimpse of you!"

"What?" Katara gasped as she gaped at him. "Then why did you say you would only help me if I said yes?"

"Because it was the only thing that occurred to me to make sure you accepted to be my girlfriend," Zuko replied with a small shrug.

"Couldn't you have just asked me like a normal person?" Katara asked with a huff.

"I could, but this was more fun," the young man responded as he smirked at her.

Katara glowered at him for a moment before she gazed into his eyes in timid inquiry.

"You really want me…to be your girlfriend?" she asked in a whisper.

"If I didn't, do you really think I would've followed you around the past five months like 'a lost puppy' as Toph has so bluntly told me?" Zuko smirked at her.

"I guess you do have a point there," Katara muttered.

She looked up when Zuko brushed his fingers against her cheek and a blush blossomed on her skin at the intense way he was looking at her.

"And do you know why I was following you around like 'a lost puppy'?" Zuko asked her softly, "Do you know why I have enjoyed spending these past five months so much with you?"

"I…no," Katara answered truthfully.

Zuko frowned at her as he continued to caress her soft skin.

"Did you know that ever since I first saw you last year I developed a crush on you?" he asked instead.

Katara gaped at him for a second.

"Seriously?" she asked incredulously.

"Yeah," he answered a bit sheepishly.

He raised a dark eyebrow when Katara began to giggle softly.

"What's so funny?" he asked with a small scowl. Here he was pouring out his feelings for her and she was laughing at him.

_Girls are crazy,_ he thought.

"Nothing," Katara said and smiled at him. "It's just that I had a huge crush on you ever since I bumped into you, too."

Zuko smiled down at her as he pressed a kiss to her forehead before he whispered to her, "Well, I just wanted to tell you that I don't have a crush on you anymore."

He felt Katara tense and he placed his lips against her cheek before he pressed a kiss to her ear.

"Nope. What I feel for you is no longer a simple crush," he continued to whisper. "And that's because what I feel for you is something much, much deeper. I love you, Katara."

Zuko pulled back to see what her reaction was to his confession and he was almost blown away with the radiant smile she was giving him.

"Well, then I guess have to confess and say that I don't have a crush on you either because…I love you, too," Katara told him with a deep blush.

She gasped softly when Zuko let go of her arms and embraced her tightly to him before he crashed his lips to hers in a fierce kiss. They broke apart after a long moment, both panting against each other.

"I'm so glad to hear you say it," Zuko told her. "It just saved me from using all the stupid plans I had come up with to make you fall in love with me."

Katara giggled at him before she let out another gasp when Zuko leaned down and brushed his lips against her neck while he pressed his chest closer to hers that it smashed her sensitive breasts.

"You are my girlfriend now and no other guy is allowed to even think about you," he growled out lowly into her ear.

"Then the same goes for you," she told him in a soft whisper. "I'll beat you senseless if you as so much look at another girl."

Zuko pulled back from her in surprise to find her smirking at him before he started chuckling.

"It would only be fair," he said with amusement. "But you don't have to worry because I only have eyes for you."

Before Katara could respond, Zuko again leaned down and kissed her. A spark flared through them both as their lips met while their bodies were pressed so intimately close. Zuko wound his arms more tightly around her waist while Katara wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled at his short hair.

Gods, kissing Katara was the best experience he had ever felt! Mouths opened eagerly and moved against each other in fervent caresses before they finally broke apart to catch their breaths. Katara licked her lips as she opened her eyes to look at Zuko. Wow, she didn't know kisses could be so amazing.

Zuko smirked down at her dazed look as he let go of her, smiling when she quickly covered her exposed chest with a deep blush. Zuko took off his varsity jacket and gently draped it over her shoulders. Katara thanked him happily, slid her arms inside the longs sleeves, and buttoned it up to cover herself. The jacket was too large on her smaller body, but Zuko found that he had never seen anything so enticing before. Well, except for her lithe body in a wet swimsuit and, of course, her uncovered breasts…

He quickly shook the images away from his mind for the moment. He grabbed her hand and began to lead her toward the main door of the building.

"I'll give you a ride home," he told her before he grinned. "I'll pick you up on Friday night for our first date of so many. Even when we go to university you won't be able to get rid of me."

Katara blushed and smiled as she squeezed his hand before she looked up at him with a large grin.

"Okay, but first you're going to have to convince my father and Sokka to let you take me out," she told him.

Zuko frowned.

"You think they won't accept me?" he asked. It didn't matter. He was going to find a way to go out with Katara either way.

Katara giggled.

"I think they'll like you as long as your idea for a date is not spending a night in a motel or you getting me pregnant," she mused.

She laughed harder when Zuko faltered in his steps and his pale cheeks flushed. Zuko scowled at her once he regained his composure before another smirk appeared on his face.

"Oh, really?" he began as he stopped them before he pulled her to him. "And what would happen if that was the case and you ended up pregnant?"

Katara sputtered at him for a few seconds before she finally realize he was teasing her. She slapped his chest when he grinned.

"Then they'll make you marry me at the threat of having a very important part of you removed," she replied with her own smirk.

Zuko's dark eyebrows furrowed as if he were really thinking about such a scenario.

"Well, then I guess I'm just going to have to marry you first and then get you pregnant," he mused.

Katara gaped at him before she started giggling.

"Don't you think you're getting way ahead of yourself?" she asked.

"Nope. I like to think of it as planning ahead," Zuko answered and smirked. "What? Don't tell me you haven't thought about making cute babies with me."

Katara was sure her face was on fire as she tried to say something because for the past months she had indeed wondered about having dozens of babies with Zuko in the future. But she wasn't about to tell him that…yet.

"Maybe I did. Maybe I didn't," was her casual response.

The smirk on Zuko's face grew larger since he knew Katara was lying and his hold on her became tighter.

"Then I'm just gonna have to work on that, won't I?" he told her.

"That does sound like a good plan to me," she smiled at him.

Zuko smirked at her before he smashed his lips to hers, kissing her fiercely.

Both young teens, wrapped in each other's arms, continued to kiss each other alongside the large pool.

The only reason they stopped was because the janitor kicked them out.

**The** **End**

* * *

**A/N: Hehehehe! A slightly perverted Zuko always makes me laugh. ^ ^**

**So there you have it! Thanks for reading! **

**~alwaysZutarian**


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